REVIEW: Batman #10

The big reveal is revealed… and it is revealing! Does Scott Snyder’s swerve pay off in the end, or does it fall on its face like a Talon in the freezer? Major Spoilers reviews Batman #10, that you can check out, after the jump!

Previously in Batman: The Court of Owls have failed in their plans to reclaim Gotham City. Though Batman and his allies prevented a number of deaths, many on the Court’s death list have fallen, including Lincoln March – a new character that appeared for the first time during the New 52 relaunch… hmmm….

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN!

Using a tip from Lincoln March, Batman has taken the battle to the Court of Owls’ nest. Meeting mean ol’ Mrs. Powers is a pretty frightening moment when she rears back her hand and it looks like a talon, thanks to some great art by Greg Capullo (more on that later). Batman pushes the right buttons that points him right back to where he was when he was ten. That particular issue was the one I gave a pretty low score to, but writer Scott Snyder told me to stick with it as it would pay off, and it does right here. When the hero reaches the run down manor, he discovers the entire Court of Owls dressed to the nines, sitting at a magnificent table – all dead. At first glance it looks like everyone committed suicide.

Scott Snyder pulls out all the stops in this issue, as each page contains more surprises than the one before. It doesn’t take long for Batman to realize he’s been duped, sending him to a run down hospital for children, long ago was shut down due to corruption and abuse of the patients. It’s there that Batman comes face to face with… wait for it… LINCOLN MARCH!

But he isn’t Lincoln March, and as the two exchange words it becomes clear that March knows more about the Wayne family than Bruce thought possible – especially when March reveals he is Bruce’s long lost brother who was committed to the hospital as a baby, and ended up being forgotten by everyone when Bruce’s parents were murdered.

It’s an interesting twist, and those that thought the New 52 Batman didn’t have any changes to his story, are probably re-evaluating their views on the Dark Knight right about now. The long lost brother turned evil adversary trope isn’t a big surprise, but I think Snyder has used it effectively in the series. It will be more interesting to see where the writer takes the reveal in the next issue, because the cliffhanger and the solicitation for the next issue imply that the two will fight to the death.

ART THAT CONTINUES TO SHINE

Greg Capullo really impressed me when I saw his work in the first issue, and he knocked my socks off in issue five. The artist hasn’t let up, and he once again brings his A-game as the attention to detail is fantastic, and the little touches that fill the panel bring the world to life on the page.

The only thing that is a little weird in this issue is Bruce Wayne’s vacant stare. When we first see Bruce fiddling with the bullet casings from his parents’ murder, his distant look is one of someone in contemplation. However, when he finally figures it out, his eyes still look dead – which was quite the opposite when Batman was trapped beneath the city in the Court of Owls maze. Even Lincoln March’s (aka Thomas Wayne, Jr.) eyes have a crazed look to them, so I’m not really sure at the moment what Capullo is trying to tell the reader.

BOTTOM LINE: GET THIS BOOK

It looks like DC is fully committed to the New 52, so Snyder’s story is going to be canon moving forward – providing March’s story isn’t a lie. Batman #10 could be the issue that collections are made on. Scott Snyder delivers a story that had me engaged the entire time, and Capullo’s art sealed the deal – this is a book to own, earning 5 out of 5 Stars.

About Author

Stephen Schleicher began his career writing for the Digital Media Online community of sites, including Digital Producer and Creative Mac covering all aspects of the digital content creation industry. He then moved on to consumer technology, and began the Coolness Roundup podcast. A writing fool, Stephen has freelanced for Sci-Fi Channel's Technology Blog, and Gizmodo. Still longing for the good ol' days, Stephen launched Major Spoilers in July 2006, because he is a glutton for punishment.
You can follow him on Twitter @MajorSpoilers and tell him your darkest secrets...

I hadn’t read a title Capullo had drawn since I’d given up on comics mid-90s as a kid, so when he was announced on Batman, I was less than thrilled, since I still thought of him as a cut-rate McFarlane. But, his art on this title… that transition where he cuts from Batman holding the owl mask, grilling the woman from the Court, to the panel that frames her resply through the eye hole of the mask he’s holding; MAN. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous book.

Scott Snyder continues to be the most consistently impressive author out there. All of his books are fantastic and he has nailed both his run on Detective Comics pre-52 and now on Batman. He has become my #1 must read writer in comics today.

… I’m not sure how I feel about “Batman’s Evil Brother”…. Bruce Wayne was one of the most interesting orphans in comics, with no siblings except those in supercostumes, and no family except the Batfamily/Friends… This kind of thing ….. Meh. That’s how I feel: “Meh”. :-/ If his “brother” dies in the showdown, then it’s just stunt-casting. If his “brother” lives, but isn’t really his brother, it’s stunt-plotting. If his brother lives, and really IS his brother, then… it feels like it’s just being done because it hasn’t really been done? We’ve had “Hush”, who was practically-a-brother, and so maybe this is the “New DC” Hush if he survives? Maybe I’m weird, but this doesn’t feel like a natural twist to the Life & Times of Bruce Wayne (despite the man’s pretty twisted life).